Aerospace Group:

Air Force

Whither the F-35’s AN/APG-85?

Frank Wolfe

Friday, February 13th, 2026

SHARE:

Whither the F-35’s AN/APG-85?

Pictured is a U.S. Air Force photo of airmen with the 56th Fighter Wing loading missiles on an F-35A before a sortie during a Phase 2 Aircraft Generation exercise on Oct. 3, 2025 at Luke AFB, Ariz.

With a radar or without, F-35A iron on the ramp is what some are voicing as a major Air Force need. A 24-page Long Term U.S. Air Fighter Force Structure plan signed by Air Force Secretary Troy Meink and delivered to Congress last October lays out a service need to have 1,558 combat-coded fighters at the end of 2035—at least 600 more than the service now has. The service has over 2,000 fighters—the most numerous being 862 F-16s, yet at…

Unmanned Systems

In Response To Flag Concerns, DoD Looks To Reduce Drone Prices, As Order for 30,000 Looms

The Pentagon is bargain shopping for Group 1 drones, as other countries, including Ukraine and China, have taken advantage of consumer electronics-level prices to bolster their stables. “In last spring’s […]

Pentagon

Amid Questions On Weapons Stockpiles, Caine Says U.S. Has ‘Sufficient’ Munitions For Iran Operation

Pentagon leaders on Wednesday sought to quell concerns over the rate at which the U.S. is employing critical munitions in its military strike campaign against Iran, with lawmakers also pressing […]

Congress

SASC Leaders Criticize Trump’s Defense Strategy, Press Colby On Policy Shifts

Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) leadership on Tuesday criticized the Trump administration’s new National Defense Strategy (NDS) and pressed the Pentagon’s top policy official to explain the document’s priorities. SASC […]

Congress

Wicker Wants Legislation On DoD’s Equity Investments In Minerals Supply Chain

Legislation regarding equity investments by the Defense Department in critical mineral supply chains is needed to strengthen the larger defense industrial base and demonstrate to the “free market” that the […]